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Dr. John Kooti named Grove College dean

Dr. John Kooti is the new dean of the John L. Grove College of Business at Shippensburg University. He began his duties in early July.

Kooti, professor and dean of the School of Business Administration at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Ga., was chosen after a national search following the retirement last year of Dr. Stephen Holoviak.

"The Grove College of Business has earned a national reputation for excellence and we're pleased that John will share his expertise and wisdom as he leads the college in its efforts to enhance its programming for students and its service to the region," said President Bill Ruud. "I also thank Dr. Tony Winter for his service the past year as interim dean. His efforts on behalf of the college and his colleagues epitomize the Ship spirit."

According to Dr. Barbara Lyman, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, "Shippensburg University and the John L. Grove College of Business are fortunate indeed to have John's proven leadership in AACSB accreditation and quality standards as well as in supporting student and faculty excellence. He has a strong track record of developing mutually rewarding relationships with the business community and of successful resource management and program development. His experience as a dean for more than a decade will serve us exceedingly well in the years ahead."

"I am very excited about the opportunity to serve the John L. Grove College of Business, Shippensburg University, the Shippensburg community area and the Mid-Atlantic region," Kooti said. "I hope to provide the leadership necessary to build on the legacy of the John L. Grove College of Business. The outstanding academic reputation of Grove College brought about by excellent faculty and staff, and supportive administration is a major factor in my decision to join Shippensburg University. The college is committed to being the outstanding business school in the Mid-Atlantic region and one of the top business schools in the nation, and I hope to be the visionary leader to facilitate achieving its mission.

"I will also work with the director and the staff of the Small Business Development Center and the Center for Entrepreneurship to facilitate the integration of business theories, innovation and entrepreneurship to improve the economic development of the Mid-Atlantic region. The services of the center will be strengthened by faculty intellectual contributions and student experiential learning."

Kooti earned his bachelors degree from Jundi-Shapour University in Iran and his master's and doctoral degrees from Michigan State University with emphasis in the areas of economics, production economics, quantitative methods and finance. He was a faculty member in the School of Business at Albany State University in Georgia from 1981 to 1998 before he took his most recent post at Georgia Southwestern State University. Beginning in 2004, he was named the Sam Walton Fellow and adviser of the Student In Free Enterprise group at Georgia Southwestern.

In addition to his teaching posts, he also had several administrative positions at Albany State where he was interim chair of the Department of Business Administration, MBA coordinator, Minority Advising Program coordinator and director of the Center of Business and Economics Research and Development.

He is the author of numerous articles and has made presentations to various professional organizations. In addition, he is a member of various community or public service organizations, as well as numerous professional organizations.